Watercolor Scripture Journaling + How Do You Fix Mistakes in Your Scripture Journal?

One question I’m asked very frequently is “How do you fix mistakes in your scripture journal”, or as Bob Ross would say, “What do you do about ‘happy little accidents’?”

You get to witness first-hand today what it looks like for me to make a ‘happy little accident’ (aka smear my freshly-painted watercolor lettering) and then try a couple of options to fix it.

Today I’m using Kuretake Tambi watercolors and a Mircon PN pen to create a simple watercolor page in my journaling Book of Mormon. It’s based on the testimony Abinadi shared before he was killed.

Mosiah 14:4-5

Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Mosiah 14:4-5

He testified boldly despite being in grave danger, and the words he shared lit a spark in Alma’s heart, allowing him to spread the gospel to many, many people.

Because I was in too much of a rush, I accidentally smeared the lettering. So you get to join me as I figure out a way to fix that. I’m actually still pretty bummed about it. I was happy with how it looked before I made that mistake.

But that’s kind of the nature of creating art like this. Sometimes we make mistakes and have to make the best of them. This is how we grow and challenge ourselves as artists. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not taking risks and that means you aren’t learning.